Mangroves, woody trees or shrubs that grow along sheltered coastlines in the earth’s tropical and sub-tropical regions provide a habitat for many animals within the interminable ebb and flow of the tide.

Mangrove forests can stabilize the coastline, reducing erosion from storm surges, currents, waves, and tides. They are not only the “Guardians of the Coast” for fishermen, but also the most splendid coastal landscape in south China’s island province of Hainan. 

A Coastal Oasis - A lush mangrove forest in Danzhou’s Xinying Bay. CHEN YUANCAI

Hainan has been making great efforts in the conservation of wetland ecosystems, focusing in particular on mangrove forests. With mangrove forest coverage increasing by the year, Hainan currently has mangrove wetlands covering just over 16,000 acres across the coastal cities and counties. There are nine nature reserves where mangroves are the main focus of conservation and three mangrove wetland parks, bringing increasingly rich biodiversity to the tropical island.

From ponds to mangroves

Lingshui Mangrove National Wetland Park, with over 400 acres of mangrove forest coverage, looks like a huge oasis in the sea when seen from the air.

According to the residents of Chengpo Village in Xincun Town, Lingshui, the coastal area was covered with shrimp and fish farms. There were very few mangrove trees, and piles of trash were lying about, making the area look dirty and kicking up an unholy stench on hot, sunny days.

In 2021, Lingshui implemented ecological restoration plans by draining the shrimp and fish ponds - covering an area of nearly 1,300 acres - near the coast, and planting mangroves. The area of newly-added mangrove forests in 2021, covering over 500 acres, is roughly equal to the total of mangrove wetland area added over the past five years in Lingshui.

Statistics from the provincial forestry bureau showed that over 7,200 acres of ponds had been restored back to wetlands, with almost 2,000 acres of mangroves planted over the past five years. Last year saw almost 1,300 acres of mangroves planted, surpassing the annual target of 988 acres. It’s predicted that more than 4,200 acres of mangrove forests will be added to the island in the next five years.

Species Cultivated

The Red Teruntum (Lumnitzera littorea) is an endangered species of mangrove. Once Hainan had the only 14 trees of this species in China, with a low seedling germination rate and severe abortion, and thus in urgent need of conservation.

Starting from 2014, the administration of Hainan Dongzhaigang National Nature Reserve worked to artificially cultivate the Red Teruntum at a wild planting base. Now, about 10,000 Red Teruntum saplings are growing at the base, with the tallest being over 3-meters.

 Wang Shijun was one of the first employees of the reserve when it was established in 1980. In 2013, he began to cultivate the endangered Red Teruntum. YUAN CHEN

According to Feng Erhui, a forestry engineer in the administration, more than 10 species of mangroves have been successfully planted at the Reserve in the past 10 years. They include the Mangrove Apple (Sonneratia caseolaris), the Chinaberry (Melia azedarach var australasica), the Flat-Leaved Spurred Mangrove (Ceriops decandra) and more, providing a more diversified “menu” for the animals inhabiting there.

 

Fiddler crabs foraging under the mangrove saplings in Danzhou’s Xinying Bay wetland. CHEN YUANCAI

“Over the past few years, the Dongzhai Port has seen increasingly rich biodiversity, with the number of fish species increasing from 126 to 160 and the number of bird species from 194 to 291. Notably, the Spoonbill - the ‘panda’ of birds - has been wintering here over the past few years,” said Feng.

　　

Exploring local win-win solutions

Chen Zhengping, a local well-known “bird guardian” in Danzhou Bay, can be seen wherever Spoonbills and Sandpipers nest. He is popular among bird-watching visitors to the wetland.

A seafood restaurant owner with an annual income of one million yuan turned forest ranger working on the mudflats, Chen believes that these two jobs are closely linked with mangroves and wetland conservation. “An abundance of seafood comes only from a well-maintained ecosystem with blooming mangrove trees, an ecosystem which needs better protection and promotion,” said Chen. 

An egret perched on a mangrove branch at the Hainan Xinying Mangrove National Wetland Park. LI TIANPING

It’s a challenge to protect the mangroves and wetlands while achieving sustainable development and allowing local communities to benefit from this process. Actors ranging from government departments to NGOs are all exploring suitable ways to balance conservation and sustainable exploitation of the mangrove wetlands.

Restoration efforts have been made at Laoshi Village in Danzhou’s Haitou Town. Since early April, the restoration of salt pans and wetlands has been carried out in the village. A pilot restoration program of a 1,800-square-meter mangrove wetland has been launched, with 6000 new plants cultivated. 

　

Mangrove wetlands in Hainan

Hainan Xinying Mangrove National Wetland Park

Hainan Lingshui Mangrove National Wetland Park

Haikou Sanjiang Mangrove Provincial Wetland Park

Nature reserves where mangroves are the main focus of conservation

Hainan Dongzhaigang National Nature Reserve

Sanya River Mangrove Nature Reserve

Sanya Tielugang Mangrove Nature Reserve

Yalong Bay Qingmeigang Mangrove Nature Reserve

Danzhou Xinying Bay Mangrove Nature Reserve

Hainan Qinglan Mangrove Provincial Nature Reserve

Hainan Dongfang Spoonbill Provincial Nature Reserve

Chengmai Huachang Bay Mangrove Nature Reserve

Lingao Caiqiao Mangrove Nature Reserve